Summer of Brutality Continues With Dangerous Heat This Week

Did I pick a great summer to move to high elevation or what?

A dome of exceptional heat is going to be centered over southern Oklahoma, with temperatures soaring into the 110s across the state. It is not just Oklahoma that will roast though. Arkansas, North Louisiana, Memphis and the Mid-South, and North Texas will all get a kiss of the extreme heat. Down into southern Louisiana and east of the Mississippi River, temperatures will be more typical of the heart of summer than hitting the extremes. The humidity will still be relentless though.

In addition to the American heatwave, Western Europe is currently enduring a historic heatwave as well.

Today I’m going to dig into the drivers of the American heatwave and bask in my monsoon cooled comfortable climate.

Huge Southern Ridge Delivers a Heaping Helping of Heat

Ridge anchored over the southwest is in control for most of the southern part of the country. Upper level ridges tend to bring warm conditions with limited cloud cover and storms, and that is what this is going to yield as well. Disturbances will work their way around the edge of the ridge, mostly on the north periphery and those will increase the storm chances in regions they pass through. So, don’t expect zero rainfall despite the ridging. Just that it won’t be widespread like the oppressive heat will be.

850 mb Torch Over Western Plains

This is an atmosphere hitting the peak of it’s hot potential. These temperatures at the 850 mb level, circled in yellow, would all be near or over all time records for those locations. This is illustrative of how exceptional this airmass is. Today will be the hottest day for Oklahoma, with many locations across that state hitting 105 by noon.

The heat will shift east later in the week. Memphis will reach the century mark tomorrow and hit it everyday but Thursday (99 high) per NWS forecast and that is through at least Monday. Shreveport will get into the mid 100s today and tomorrow, before a brief “cooldown” into the upper 90s for Thursday and Friday. Then the 100+ days will return by the weekend and into early next week.

Little Rock won’t be spared either. Expect a similar story to Memphis, with Thursday bringing a brief cooldown to 99 before the 100+ days return.

This sustained heat isn’t just miserable, it is outright dangerous for vulnerable members of your communities. Check in on the elderly, and anyone who may not have access to AC. Also, bring your pets inside and keep them plenty hydrated. This isn’t normal summer heat.

Yeah, The Heat Ain’t Going Away

This isn’t going away anytime soon either. GEFS mean still has 594 dm ridge showing up over Oklahoma on Tuesday of next week. That isn’t as strong as this week’s ridge, but that’s also a week away on the model. Wouldn’t be surprising to see similar 500 mb heights over the region by this time next week. That’s the most dangerous kind of heat too, the stuff that sticks around.

I can’t emphasize this enough!

Heat kills more people than any other type of weather, and the effect tends to be cumulative. Take it easy out there. Make sure you have access to AC and those in your neighborhood do too. The most important thing is to get the house cool at night for sleeping. You might need to run the AC very warm during the day to save on electricity but get it comfortable at night. Poor sleep during hot weather sets the stage for more significant heat impacts.

So please, sleep comfortably!

tl;dr version

It’s going to be hot and going to be hot for a long time for the Texas, Arkansas, North Louisiana, and the Mid-South. Today and tomorrow will likely be the hottest for Oklahoma, Dallas, and Shreveport with temperatures soaring into the mid 100s. It won’t get quite that hot into Little Rock and the mid-south, but days of 100 degree days are coming. This is a time to check on the elderly and the homeless, keep those pets indoors or at least under some shade with plenty of water. But seriously, just bring em inside.

This heat is going to last through the weekend and into early next week. Those trying to save money on energy, run that AC at night vs trying to cool much during the day. Your AC will run more efficiently at night with the lower ambient temperature outside, power is cheaper, and it is more important to sleep comfortably than anything else.

Try and stay cool y’all.

Jacob Caddell